This recipe for Parmesan Encrusted Zucchini is something I first made in September 2007, and it's been a favorite way to cook zucchini ever since then. The recipe came from Vegetables Every Day by Jack Bishop, a very old book that I still use all the time to look for ideas for cooking vegetables. When I first made this I used Jack Bishop's instructions for blanching the zucchini before broiling it with the cheese, but then a smart reader told me they just skipped the blanching and cooked the zucchini under the broiler as well. That's the way I've been doing it for a few years now, so I am updating the instructions to change that step.

I like the zucchini to still have a tiny bit of crispness, and broilers can vary, so you may have to make this a couple of times to get the timing just right for your own taste. Luckily this delicious zucchini coated with melted Parmesan is so delicious that you won't mind experimenting, and if you have any kids in the house I promise they will gobble up the experiments!

(Parmesan Encrusted Zucchini was updated with better photos and improved instructions, September 2014.)

Jack Bishop brushed the zucchini with melted butter before he sprinkled on the Parmesan, and through the years I've done it with all butter, a mixture of olive oil and butter, and all olive oil. All three methods are delicious, although I would probably splurge and use butter. You're only eating the small bit of butter that sticks to the zucchini (most is left in the pan you melted it in), and what's more delicious than butter + Parmesan!

I hope I don't need to apologize for offering yet another zucchini recipe for Meatless Monday this week, because I'm trying to share all the zucchini recipes I've updated with new photos through the summer. And all too soon it will be time for soup, so let's enjoy the zucchini while it's so good! (To see more Meatless Monday recipes, use the label Meatless Monday or take a look at the Vegetarian Recipes in the recipe index. I also have a Meatless Monday Pinterest board and share a weekly Meatless Monday idea for Meatless Monday at BlogHer.com.)

Cut each zucchini in quarters lengthwise, scrape away the inner seed part of each piece, then cut the zucchini into strips about 3 inches long. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil or non-stick spray (I used my Misto Olive Oil Sprayer.) Lay the zucchini on the baking sheet in a single layer and then brush or mist the zucchini with a tiny bit of olive oil and sprinkle with Italian Herb Blend (or your favorite seasoning.)

I broiled the zucchini about 6 minutes, with the pan about 6 inches away from the broiler as shown in this photo. Broilers are highly variable, so check with a fork to see when it's as tender as you'd like it. (And remember the zucchini will cook longer when you're melting the cheese.)

While the zucchini cooks, melt the butter (or prepare a combination of butter and olive oil, or use all olive oil) and grate about 3/4 cup of Parmesan cheese. (You can also use the coarsely grated Parmesan that comes in a plastic jar, but powdery pre-grated Parmesan won't work well for this.) When zucchini is nearly as tender as you'd like it, remove from oven, sprinkle the zucchini generously with Parmesan, and put back under the broiler for 6-8 minutes, or until it's melted and starting to brown.

Serve hot, with more cheese to sprinkle on at the table if desired!

And here's the original photo of this recipe from 2007. I know I used very coarsely grated Parmesan back then, and even though it's not a good photo I think you can tell this was tasty!

Instructions:
Preheat the broiler and adjust the rack so your pan will be about 6 inches away from the heat. Spray a large baking sheet with olive oil or non-stick spray.

Wash zucchini skins and pat dry, cut off stem and blossom end of each zucchini, and cut zucchini into lengthwise strips; then cut away the inner seedy white part of each piece. Cut the zucchini pieces into strips about 3 inches long.

Arrange zucchini on broiler pan in rows, close together, skin side down. Mist or brush the zucchin with a tiny amount of olive oil and season the zucchini with the Italian Herb Blend (or your favorite seasoning blend). Broil zucchini about 6 minutes, or until it's starting to feel barely tender when you pierce it with a fork. (If your broiler is powerful I'd start checking after about 4 minutes. Remember the zucchini will cook more when you melt the cheese.)

When the zucchini is barely tender, remove the pan from under the broiler, brush zucchini with melted butter (or whatever combination of butter and olive oil you're using, and sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the zucchini, trying to get most of the zucchini covered.

Put zucchini under broiler and cook until cheese is completely melted and well-browned, about 6-8 minutes, or a little more or less, depending on how hot your broiler is and how close the pan is to the heat source. Serve hot or warm. There won't be any leftovers, so you don't need to worry about whether this will keep in the refrigerator.

South Beach Diet / Low-Carb Diet Suggestions:
This would be considered a "once in a while treat" for any phase of the South Beach Diet, due to the amount of saturated fat in the cheese (and butter if you're using), although zucchini is very low in calories, carbs, and fat. New studies about weight loss are showing that fat (even saturated fat) is not that much of a concern, so I probably wouldn't worry too much about the butter and cheese. It would also be great for most other low-carb diet plans.

I chose the South Beach Diet to manage my weight partly so I wouldn't have to count calories, carbs, points, or fat grams, but if you want nutritional information for a recipe, I recommend entering the recipe into Calorie Count, which will calculate it for you. Or if you're a member of Yummly, you can use the Yum button on my site to save the recipe and see the nutritional information there.

More Yummy Ideas with Zucchini:
(Recipes from other blogs not always South Beach Diet friendly; check ingredients.)

(Want even more recipes? I find these recipes from other blogs using Food Blog Search.)

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These look seriously good - I think I might even be able to persuade my husband that zucchini is a good thing with those babies! I wonder if you could make them with olive oil and skip the butter all together.

Oh...yummy yummy yummy!! I love zucchini. I normally just saute them with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper because I want to eat them as soon as possible. I am going to make these asap though. Seriously.

Oh my gosh! I just got on-line to find a recipe for zucchini fries. I always stop by for your recipe of the day and low and behold there it was. Thank you again for another great recipe! I am going to try it without blanching first.

Kalyn,Those zucchinis looks very tasty!!I eat a lot of veggies... I used to be vegetarian, but I have never tied zucchini with parmesan, I must try it.I will do some more baking with poppy seeds soon too!! Maybe bread for the bread day (October 16).Greetings, Margot

Just FYI, I make a version of these without blanching them first, however, I cut my zucchini strips thinner. I lay the strips on a baking sheet, spray them with cooking spray, and sprinkle a Mexican style spice on them. Then I bake them at 450. My whole family loves them. With the spray and seasonings, instead of butter and cheese, they are very SB friendly. I am going to try your version tomorrow. They sound great.

These look so very yummy. They remind me of the fried zucchini sticks my mom used to make sometimes. I think she just dipped them in a flour and water batter and then pan fried them, and squeezed lemon over them. She didn't cook the zucchini first, but they probably got more cooking during the frying than these would under the broiler . . . still, I think it could work to not parboil them first.

I just made the lazy girl's version of this, and it turned out great:I cut the zucchini into fry-sized spears, arranged them in a pan, drizzled butter over them and baked them at 350F for ten minutes. Then I sprinkled parmesan over them, and baked them for 20 more minutes. Simple as that, and mighty delicious.

Hi,I made this last night, but I had forgotten to take the recipe with me. But my memory served me well!

However, I did forget to boil the zukes first, and it came out just fine! Also I didn't remove the white stuff, and cut them thicker than fries...just took a little longer backing but juicy and delicious!

I love cooking this for my family. My husband doesn't care for veggies and sometimes the kiddos are hard to please but this one has been a dish that everyone goes for!!! thank you for making our Zucchini eating experience so much more enjoyable!

Tonight I'm cooking it for my parents who are on the low-carb diet so this will be great for them also!

Just wanted to add a note that I've modified this recipe a tiny bit, and my hubby loves it. Instead of cutting the zukes into "fries," I slice them into "chips" -- about 1/4" slices using my mandoline and then put them on the broiler rack. Everything else is pretty much the same - brush with a little bit of butter, sprinkle on salt, pepper, parmesan, and bake for about 15 minutes. We like our "chip" version a lot, and using the mandoline to slice is so fast! Every time I make these, we gobble them all up!

I see Mrs K had the same idea I did - to oven bake. I sprayed the pan with OO Pam and decided to spray the zucchini too. Then I coated them with the cheese. I was grilling chicken breasts that had been marinated in a mixture of EVOO, lemon, oregano, salt & pepper and I timed everything to finish at the same time. Served them with a salad of mixed greens that were dressed with a vinaigrette made with both lemon and white balsamic. What an easy and awesome meal - I'm making the zucchini again. Thanks so much for the idea! Love your blog

Our favorite zucchini recipe is very similar, but a lot more simple. -Clean zucchini (or yellow squash)-Slice about 1/4" or smaller (thicker = juicier; thinner = more chip like)-spray with butter (spray butter is healthier than melter & easier)-sprinkle with parmigian cheese-broil on high or low (depending on how hungry you are) until cheese melts/browns-(optional) flip and repeat previous 3 steps-enjoy a delicious side or snack

HELLO Kalyn. I am a big fan,and sing your praises. I do have a request, I was gifted some patty pan squash,& have been looking for receipts everywhere & it seems they all require the oven. It's summer, and hot so my request is are there summer bounty recipes that don't require ovens,or bar-b-q ing? Sure would appreciate it.Regards.

I've always intended to hop on the Meatless Mondays bandwagon but haven't...mostly because I haven't planned for it! Since I love zucchini, this will be a great way to start. I think I could eat an entire recipe of this!

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